Letters from Mistral
by CaptainCabooseRex
Summary: Remnant is at war. A blonde haired soldier leaves his Invincible Girl behind, facing a test of courage and faith as the world burns
1. M-day

"_Wake up Roughnecks, it's time."_

Light suddenly flooded into the small room littered with cots, rucksacks, and sleeping soldiers. Like clockwork the room began to come alive in a still silence, men waking up to "shower, shit, and shave", get into uniform, and finishing letters to loved ones to be delivered if they weren't returning home. Sergeant Major John Roman stood in the doorway grimly observing the chaotic, yet orderly scene, slowly sipping on lukewarm coffee. "_Why do they have to die? They should be home right now, chasing skirts, and getting into trouble from being too drunk. Not dying in some hell hole miles from home…_" His eyes shut as his throat tightened as guilt ripped at his heart. "_Good morning Sgt. Major._" came from a few soldiers as they walked past him to reach the showers. The brightly lit barracks slowly froze like a picture in his mind. Twenty eight bunks, twenty eight rifles, twenty eight souls ready to die, and everyone young enough to be his sons. Taking a sip of his coffee, he gritted his teeth at the burn of whiskey. "_Nearly half this platoon can't drink yet….here's to them." _he muttered calmly under his breath, turning down the hallway leaving the men to prep on their own.

In the far corner, a blonde headed soldier sat staring at a small well worn photo in his hand, the other clutching a small necklace around his neck. The young soldier silently rubbed his hand across the cropped blonde hair touching the long jagged scar that ran from his right temple to the base of his neck.

"_Sorry for not telling you about this, I didn't want to worry you."_

Gazing lovingly up in his hand, those emerald eyes reached into his soul. Her crimson hair pulled back tight in a ponytail, a golden circlet wrapped around her head. He smiled, knowing how much she hated dressing up like this. It reminded her of all of the interviews, photoshoots,and overzealous admirers bombarding her for attention and her affections. She even did her eyeliner, the emerald color complimented her eyes.

"_Those eyes. Those beautiful eyes….. He could always see the love and knew that everything would be ok….._"

With a heavy sigh, his body began to quake slightly as tears welled in his eyes. The picture slipped from his grasp onto the upturned helmet between his feet. A tear streaked down his cheek as his mind drifted back to happier memories when the world wasn't at war and he was home with that beautiful warrior girl, his Invincible Girl.

It was shortly before the Vital Festival when the attacks started. A storm came from the north encompassing the continent. Grimm attacked everything in Remnant, no one could understand where they came from. The world burned from Mistral to Vaccuo, Hunters and armies alike were stretched to their limits. Every kingdom was besieged for 48 hours. Then as suddenly as the attacks came, they stopped. Every Grimm slowed to a stop and retreated from the kingdoms.They disappeared in the storm and haven't been seen since.

After the attacks, the kingdoms fractured. Weeks after "The Burning Sky" as it was called, General Ironwood was ousted from his position As Commander in Chief of Atlas. His replacement, Skymarshal Grace Waltz demanded reparations from the rest of Remnant for the cost the Atlas military paid defending places like Beacon and Haven. No nation could afford to pay the exorbitant amounts that Atlas demanded and soon everything fell apart. Mistral fell to Atlas within five days, Vaccuo withdrew from the international stage to focus on rebuilding. This left Vale as the last free nation standing in the way of Atlas. Within six months, Vale was mustering an army and a draft was introduced to bolster the ranks. All males from the age of 18 to 30 were required to report to their local recruiting office. The only exception was given to Beacon and the combat schools, they were deemed too important to the future of the war effort as a majority of hunters and huntresses had been lost during The Burning Sky. This is what caused the blonde soldier to be so far from home, lost in those beautiful emerald eyes.

The sun was setting low on the horizon, painting the sky tinges of magenta and gold. The reflections of light danced lazily across the harbor. Seagulls wheeled and called to each other as the boardwalk bustled with activity. The sun's warmth touched his skin as he sat on a bench enjoying the comfort of this wonderful day. The scroll buzzed in his pocket, letting him know that she was on her way. Staring into the screen's reflection, he adjusted his messy blonde hair out of his face. A nervous excited smirk appeared as for once he wasn't late.

"_What do you think? Are you going to ask her today_?" The reflection called to him defiantly. "_Or are you going to lose your nerve again_?"

Shaking his head to clear away the doubt he felt rising in his chest, a warm soothing feeling made him smile.

"_Those damn emerald eyes…_"

His sky blue eyes close and he begins to sing a tune he heard from his grandfather in a rambling contented way.

"_He was a famous trumpet man from out Beacon way, He had a boogie style that no one else could play, He was the top man at his craft, but then his number came up, and he was gone with the draft, He's in the army now, a-blowin' reveille, He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B.."_

The ambiance of the lapping water, the clack of shoes on the cobblestone walkways, and the gentle cool breeze coming of the ocean slowly lulled him to a satisfied slumber.

"_Oh Gods! I'm going to be late!_"

A flurry of books, papers and pencils littered the desk and floor of the otherwise organized dorm room. A flash of crimson scrambled out of her seat as she started at her scroll, cursing herself for losing track of time. The sunset gently illuminated the carpeted floor as a young slender woman pulled off matching blue Sanctum sweat pants and t-shirt, dashing for the shower.

"_I can't believe I did this, he will be so angry….."_

Thoughts rushed through her mind as the icy water seemed to pound her as if to reinforce her mistakes. Stepping out of the shower and drying herself off,

"_What should I wear? I don't want to give off the wrong impression or scare him away….Think!_"

As her closet was thrown open, a black sweatshirt tumbled out and onto the floor. The charcoal smiling rabbit logo on the front seemed to tease her as she drifted back in time to the first time she saw the owner's blue eyes.

"_Those wonderful blue eyes…._"


	2. Ch 2 Great minds sleep alike

Chapter 2 Great minds sleep alike

Visible frustration began to crack through the facade of collected calm and dignity as she walked at a brisk pace through the streets of Beacon. Her boots pounded on the cobblestone as they echoed down the side streets, she took to try to reach the harbor on time. Constantly checking her scroll as the minutes ticked down closer and closer to 6:30, breathless swearing escaped her gritted teeth.

"_Stupid, stupid, stupid…of all the days, how can I be late?"_

As she stepped out of the alley into the open street, something began clawing at the back of her mind. A feeling that she had ignored since she started at Beacon. No other soul on the continent was able to pierce the carefully sculpted vale that she had created. Her Invincible Girl persona, the untouchable mythical figure that the masses created based on her abilities as a fighter, for her beauty, and for her status that made others want something from her.

"_He didn't know anything about me or who I was. I was only a picture on a box of cereal to him. Then a teammate, a sparring partner, and finally my best friend."_

Friend. That single word made her slow to a halt. Down the street was Leon's, the quaint Mistrallian cafe on the boardwalk, the place she took him after he stood up to Cardin Winchester. "_He stood up for me, for the team. That's what friends do, right?" _She knew that the rest of her friends would do anything for her, but she always preferred him. Why? The training sessions? The late night studying to make sure he passed his classes? No, it wasn't that. She always wanted to be around him, listening to his one liner, and learning about the Huntsman comic he loved to read. A smile spread across her lips as she remembered the dance.

"_He showed up to the dance in the dress just like he said and swept me off my feet. A man of his word. An honorable man. My white knight."_

Her face went flush as waves of embarrassment cascaded crashed through her body.

"_I want him to be my knight…."_

Gradually he began to stir, stretching aching muscles, and lazily smacking his lips. Through bleary eyes, he checked the clock on his scroll.

"_It's 6:45…. Oh No! I fell asleep!"_

Standing up in a flurry of limbs, panicked movements, and a yelp of alarm, his eyes searched relentlessly for any sign of her.

"_No..no..no...no... Where is she?" _An icy wave flowed through his veins…. She had seen him sleeping and left…...or worse, she hadn't come at all. Doubt began to flow through him. He had blown it. The reflection in his phone mocked him.

"_Another failure hero. Well done you royally fucked this one up." _The sneering inner voice of self-doubt echoed in his mind. "_You were a fool for thinking you had a chance. Oh look, you even tried to polish up for her. Polish shit and it's still shit, moron."_

He looked down at his square toed leather cowboy boots. They cost him a month's work for Beacon Academy as a janitor after classes. "_I couldn't afford anything else…."_ A defeated sigh escaped his lips and he buried his head in his hands dropping back down on to the bench.

A hand gently touched his shoulder causing him to lurch in fright and land in a heap on the ground. "I'm sorry Jaune for being late…." A sheepish voice said from behind him. Dusting himself off and standing up from the ground, he laughed "_Late Pyrrha? Never you're right on time!" _

As his eyes looked up from dusting his arm, his jaw went slack and his eyes widened as he processed exactly what he saw. There she was. Standing there in all her glory and beauty. On her head was a jet-black Stetson cowboy hat, covering her fiery crimson hair pulled tight back into a tight braid that reached her waist. A white button-down shirt accentuated her curves down to the belt she wore around her waist. On her buckle was the symbol he had grown accustomed to seeing, the spear crossing the shield. The belt needed no help to hold up the blue jeans she wore that defined her powerful legs. Finally, he saw a familiar pair of leather squared toed boots, looking suspiciously like the ones on his own feat. After an initial inspection, he returned to looking at her face. Her cheeks were as ruby red as her lips were. "_Lipstick?! She never wears that." _Their eyes met. Jaune could lose himself in those beautiful eyes. The sunset lit them so they shone like twin emerald fires. She shuffled uncomfortably under his shocked gaze. "_I hope you aren't upset with me Jaune." _Her eyes cast down to inspect a suddenly interesting spot on her boot. "_Gods you are beautiful…." _ The words escaped his lips and his heart fell as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

Her hands shot to her lips as she squeaked in embarrassment. The box she had been carrying tumbled down to the ground, spilling its contents into the dirt. "_Did he just say that?!" _Her heart began to race and beat out of her chest as she watched his shoulders sag and his cheeks burn fiery red. "_Sorry Pyrrha, I didn't mean that…. wait wait wait you are beautiful, but like not for me beautiful. Not in my league…." _His voice trailed off as he picked up the white Stetson off the ground. Dusting it off the best he could, he began to place it back into the box. "_That's for you, Jaune…." _She said barely audible through her hands. "_Put it on please…." _With a puzzled look on his face he placed the hat on his head, standing to his full height. "_What do you think Pyrrha?" _

She looked into his sky-blue eyes as the white hat settled into place. "_He's scared of me…." _Guilt welled up in her throat as she fought through her confusion. "_I need to answer him…" _As she began to open her mouth to speak, her scroll buzzed in her pocket. Slowly she reached into her pocket to silence it when she saw it was Professor Ozpin. "_Oh Gods, not now…."_

As she turned around to answer the scroll, a voice deep within Jaune began its assault. "_Excellent work fuck head, you really blow it now. I thought sleeping was tops, but holy fuck you continue to impress me more and more." _His teeth ground hard as he stood feeling like a fool in the hat. "_Of course, sir I can come to your office...I will be there shortly…." _Pyrrha turned around and quietly spoke. "_I have to go Jaune...I'm sorry… Good night…" _She turned and quickly began to walk off towards Beacon Academy. Minutes passed as Jaune stood motionless, wrestling with his demon. As burning tears of rage and shame fell down his cheeks, a chime came from his pocket. With a slow and shaking hand, Jaune removed the scroll and examined the message on the screen.

"_To Team RWBY, JNPR, CRDN, SSSN, CRDL, CVFY, SCHL, and MUNN_

_Please report to my office at your nearest convenience._

_Professor Ozpin." _


End file.
